Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Golf equipment giant Callaway on Thursday severed ties with the media firm behind an advert that showed a male golfer shoving a woman to the ground as outrage over the commercial continued to spread. The PGA Tour also distanced itself from Good Good Golf, announcing the company would no longer serve as title sponsor of an upcoming tournament. The ad, released online last week before being pulled, triggered a huge backlash for its depiction of violence against women, including calls for a boycott of Callaway products.
The online video showed Garrett Clark — co-founder of Good Good — knocking Epson Tour professional player Alexis Miestowski to the ground when she attempts to reach for his driver, before warning her in a sinister tone: “Do not touch my new driver.” Callaway said it had reviewed the matter and “has ended its relationship with Good Good, effective immediately.”
“Over the last several days, we have listened and reflected deeply on the hurt and disappointment caused by the video we reposted,” it said in a statement. “We heard from individuals who shared personal experiences related to violence against women, and their stories were powerful reminders that this issue touches the lives of far too many people. Unequivocally, violence against women is unacceptable and should never be trivialized, normalized, or used as entertainment.”
Callaway has taken “appropriate internal corrective actions,” and will commit $1 million to support organizations working to prevent violence against women, it added. Good Good Golf, which centers its business around a successful YouTube channel aimed at bringing a younger audience to the sport, had already apologized for the controversial advert. “We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand,” Good Good said in a statement.
But the backlash continued Thursday. Good Good Golf will no longer serve as the title sponsor for an upcoming PGA Tour tournament in Texas, the circuit announced. “The PGA Tour has been informed of Good Good Golf’s decision to step away as sponsor of the event in Austin, Texas, this fall,” said a statement. “We agree with their decision to use this time to focus on their organization and work ahead.”
The tournament will go ahead as scheduled from November 12-15, with details on new sponsorship arrangements to be announced at a later date, it said. Earlier this week, PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said the circuit was dismayed by the advert, describing Good Good’s initial handling of the controversy as “disappointing.” The Golf Channel also said it “will not be able to complete this season” of its reality show “Big Break x Good” due to the media company’s involvement, after a sponsor reportedly asked for its branding to be removed.
© 2024 AFP
